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Canada Activates Public Foreign Influence Registry

The registry will make arrangements with foreign principals public so Canadians can see who seeks to influence political and government processes.

Anton Boegman prepares to appear before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Foreign Influence Commissioner Anton Boegman said the registry requirements were designed broadly so as to minimize loopholes, but his office is watching to see where tweaks might be necessary over time.
A Canadian flag flies near the Gordie Howe bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with Detroit, Michigan, US. (REUTERS)
Anton Boegman starts his job on Tuesday as Canada's first foreign influence transparency commissioner. He says there are limits to what the new foreign influence office will be able to do.

Overview

  • The Office of the Foreign Influence Commissioner, led by Anton Boegman, launched the registry that came into force on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.
  • Anyone with an arrangement to influence a Canadian political or governmental process on behalf of a foreign principal must register those arrangements, with existing arrangements due in 60 days and new ones due within 14 days.
  • Registrants must disclose identifying details, the foreign principal, the influence activities and any benefits received, and failures to comply can trigger fines up to $1 million or possible criminal charges.
  • The commissioner issued non‑binding interpretation bulletins on the first day, including guidance that solicitor‑client privileged legal advice is not an influence activity, while rules on engagements with Indigenous public office holders have been deferred.
  • Boegman said his office focuses on transparency and will refer suspected covert interference to the RCMP and national security partners, and observers warn the law’s broad definitions may sweep in journalists, lawyers and routine business interactions and could chill legitimate engagement.